Christmas Future
by jammyjen
Summary: A fluffy, Christmasy MS story. Complete, i think.
1. Christmas Eve

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it.

Summary: This was originally going to be part of a series but I didn't like the first two chapters so it's stand alone but I might write another chapter.

It's set about 10/11 years into the future and I know most American schools have concerts for all faiths but I went to a catholic school in England so my speciality is nativity play (I was an angel and a soldier), so apologies for any inaccuracies.

Christmas Eve

"Martin, have you collected the mail today?" Sam yelled up the stairs.

"Yeah, it's in the dining room." His voice floated down the stairs.

Sam walked into the dining room and searched under piles of wrapping and tissue paper until she found the stack of mail. She immediately recognised the handwriting on the envelope, as Jack Malone's, her old boss and lover. Inside the cheery Christmas card read:

_Dear Martin, Samantha and family,_

_Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year._

_Hope everyone is well and congratulations on the new pregnancy. Life's going pretty well here in Chicago and Hanna started at Yale in the fall. _

_Best wishes, Jack, Hanna and Kate._

"Mom, Izzy's stolen my chocolate!" Yelled a voice from the living room.

Sam dropped the cards on the table and hurried through where she found 4 year old Grace stood with her hands on her hips frowning at 18 month old Isabelle who sat quite happily munching on a chocolate star, spreading most of it around her mouth.

"MOM!" Grace exclaimed. "She took my chocolate."

"She's only a baby, Gracie. Here have another one." Sam leant over and took a chocolate from the Christmas tree and handed it to her daughter. It was only Christmas Eve but she had already given up denying the children their treats. Suddenly, Martin popped his head around the door.

"Are you ready for the star of the nativity play?" He asked.

"Yes!" Shouted Grace.

In walked 6 year old Gabriel, dressed in one of Martin's beige T-shirts which reached his bare feet, a dressing gown cord tied around his waist and a tea-towel on his head.

"I'm a shepherd," he said, waving a toy sheep in the air.

"You looked great, Gabe." Sam said. "Now, do you remember your line?"

"Let's follow the star to find the king." He replied solemnly.

"That's great, come on now we better get going or we're gonna be late." Sam said.

15 minutes later, everyone was dressed in as many layers as possible and strapped into the car and they made their way to Gabriel's school. Once they'd dropped off Gabriel with his teacher they walked into the packed auditorium. Several rows from the front they saw a familiar face beckoning them.

"Hey you guys, I saved you a couple of seats." Danny Taylor yelled over the noise.

"Thanks." Martin said, after he and Sam had sat down on their seats, each with a little girl on their knee.

"So who is Gabe playing?" Danny asked.

"He's a shepherd."

"He didn't want to be the Angel Gabriel?"

"No, Mrs Andrews wanted him to be but he didn't want to wear the halo, he said it made him look like a girl. Who's Emily playing." Martin asked, Emily was Danny's daughter she was the same age as Gabriel, Danny was raising her alone since her mother had left them several months after Emily was born.

"She's the star." Danny replied, beaming with pride.

Suddenly the lights dimmed and the play began. It was a typical nativity play, one of the three wise men began to cry when he forgot his line, one of the donkey's fell asleep and Joseph spent the entire performance waving to his mother in the audience. When the lights went up Gabriel hurried over to his parents.

"How was I? Did you like it? I didn't forgot my line." He asked energetically.

"You were fantastic, Gabe." Martin replied. "I think Santa will definitely be leaving you something tonight."

"Yay!"

"Me too," Mumbled a sleepy Grace.

The Fitzgeralds packed into their car and wished Danny and his daughter Merry Christmas. They drove home and Martin carried their sleeping children into the house and to bed. They finished wrapping the presents and placed them under the tree. Finally they too went to bed. As Sam lay there she thought to herself, if someone had told her 10 years ago that she would have three children and be expecting her fourth she would never have believed them. However, she loved her life and her kids and she couldn't wait until the next morning when they find their presents under the tree.

Please review and I wonder if anyone could tell me if the Americans have Boxing Day.


	2. Christmas Day

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it.

Christmas Day

"Mommy, Daddy, wake up." Gabriel and Grace Fitzgerald yelled as they jumped up and down on their parents' bed.

"What time is it?" Martin asked sleepily.

"Five thirty," Sam replied.

"Oh kids can't you wait a bit?"

"No, we want to go now!"

"Okay, I suppose this is an improvement on last year's 4am. Go get your dressing gowns and slippers on." Martin said and the children ran off into their rooms.

"Merry Christmas Marty." Sam said as she leant over to kiss her husband.

"Merry Christmas," he replied, " and merry Christmas to you too" as he kissed her swollen stomach.

The next few hours were spend ripping paper off presents, deciphering extremely complicated instructions and trying prevent baby Izzy from munching on every piece of wrapping paper within reach. At about 9 o'clock Martin decided it was time to make the children presentable so he took them upstairs to bath and dress them.

Samantha took advantage of this time to have some peace and quiet as she knew she wouldn't get a chance later. She pulled on a pair of boots and wrapped herself up in Martin's jacket and went to stand on the porch. Normally, the street was bustling with children and families but today it was silent and the ground was covered in a fresh crisp layer of snow.

It wasn't totally silent as Sam could hear the kids' laughter and Martin's voice from the upstairs bathroom. The kids were a handful but Sam didn't regret having any of them, it was only recently that she had realised what a joy they were. Up until Isabelle was born, 18 months ago, Sam had been working full-time but had decided when she was born to take a break from work to try life as a stay-at-time mom. And, although she didn't like to admit it as she always believed herself to be a career woman, but she loved being at home with the kids and she realised how much of Gabriel's and Grace's babyhoods' she had missed.

But she couldn't have done it without Martin, he was a wonderful father. After Grace's birth he had transferred from the field into an office job. Although he didn't enjoy this as much as his previous job he was home every night by 6pm, in time for bedtime stories, and he had every weekend off, he hadn't yet missed one of Gabriel's little league games or Grace's ballet shows. For him being a good father was more important to him that working in the field.

"Sam, have you seen Grace's party dress?" Martin's raised voice shattered Sam's thoughts. She turned away from the picturesque scene in the street and went back into the house.


	3. Boxing Day

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it.

Boxing Day

Martin's eyes fluttered open and he glanced down at his sleeping wife, her head resting on his chest. The house was in silence, as unusual occurrence with three children under 7, but it was Boxing Day and they had exhausted themselves the day before.

He lay still listening to Sam's steady breathing, her swollen stomach rested on his hip and he could feel their baby moving within her. That movement made his heart leap and a grin spread across his face, he had lost count of the number of times he and Sam had slept like this during her pregnancies but every time felt like the first time.

At that moment a faint cry could be heard through the wall, recognising his youngest daughter's cry he crept out of bed in order to prevent Izzy from waking the whole house.

By 10am the three children were dressed and strapped into their car seats. Sam and Martin were taking the kids to visit their friend and former colleague, Vivian Johnson. The Boxing Day sales were a very alluring prospect but Sam couldn't face the hordes, especially with three small kids and she hadn't seen Viv in a long time.

"Hi, Merry Christmas," Viv said as she opened the front door.

"Merry Christmas, how are you?" Sam replied.

"I'm great, we're all great. Look at you, you look amazing."

"I definitely don't feel it, I feel as big as a house."

"Don't listen to her, she looks gorgeous as she always does." Martin said, kissing his wife on the top of her head.

Once the children were settled in front of the television, watching the Wizard of Oz the adults gathered in the kitchen to share a holiday drink.

"So how's life at the FBI?" Sam asked, Vivian was now one of the directors of the New York branch.

"It's pretty good, you're not missing it are you Sam?" Viv asked.

" Not the paperwork, or the chance of getting shot, but changing diapers isn't exactly stim...." Sam suddenly grabbed her stomach and doubled over in pain.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Martin asked desperately.

"Something's wrong Martin." Sam screamed as blood began to seep through her trousers and onto the floor.

The gurney crashed through the swing doors and Martin had the run to keep up. More medical staff joined the team forming around Sam and they disappeared through the next set of doors, Martin tried to follow but a nurse stood in his way.

"I'm sorry sir, but you can't go any further." She said.

"But that's my wife." He exclaimed.

"I'm sorry." She replied sympathetically.

He backed up against the wall as another gurney passed, slowly he slid down the wall until he was crouching on the ground his head in his hands.

Several hours later, an exhausted doctor dressed in blood-splattered scrubs approached Martin.

"Mr Fitzgerald?" She asked.

"Yes." He said, looking up from the spot he was staring at on the ground.

"I'm Dr Dixon, your wife's surgeon."

"How is she?"

"The baby's placenta separated from the uterus, which caused the bleeding, and we had to perform an emergency c-section. We delivered a baby boy about half an hour ago."

"Are they both okay?"

"The baby is premature but he is breathing well on his own and your wife should wake up for the anaesthetic very soon."

"Thank you doctor," Martin said the relief evident on his face.

The dimly lit hospital room was filled with several incubators. In the furthest corner Martin and Sam were sat gazing down at their tiny son.

"I was so scared, I thought I'd lost you, both of you." Martin whispered.

"Don't worry, I'm not going any where. Are we Paddy?" Sam replied placing her finger in the baby's palm. Baby Patrick Stephan Fitzgerald grasped his mother's hand in reply.

The End.

Thanks for the great reviews and answers to my stupid questions. I was gonna give the baby a Christmas name like Jesus or Noel but thought it a bit cheesy, the middle name Stephan is after the feast of St. Stephan on December 26th.

Please review.


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